Winfield e



UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AssIeNoR TO MARY E.

ODE, OF SAME PLACE.

CHECK-REIN FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,616, dated July 17,1883.

Application filed March 16,1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

'Be it knownthat I, WINFIELD R. E, of Meriden, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented anew Improvement inCheck-Rein Fasteners; and I do hereby declare-the following, when takenin connection With accompanying drawings and the letters of referencemarked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,I and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in

Figure 1, a top view; Fig. 2, an edge view; Fig.- 3, a longitudinalcentral section.

This invention relates to a device to be used in connection with thecheck-rein of a bridle to engage the rein with the water-hook, theobject being to hold the rein upon the hook and prevent its accidentaldisengagement; and

the invention consists in the construction here inafter described, andmore particularly recited in the claim.

A represents the frame,'made of two thicknesses of thin metal, a b, Fig.2. At one end a loop, B, is formed for attachment to the checkrein. Thisattachment is made by simply passing the rein through the loop, it beingleft free on the rein, so as to permit the rein to work freely throughit in the turning of the horses head to the right or left, as the reinwould do were it attached directly to the hook. At the; opposite end isan .opening, 0, considerably larger than the body of the hook. Into thisopening an elastic or flexible material, D, is introduced, extendingrearward, but preferably leaving an uninterrupted opening at the rearside. This elastic or flexible material is out tosubstantially the shapeof p the frame and laid between the two thicknesses, as seen in Figs. 2and 4, and then the two thicknesses of the frame riveted together,

as seen in Fig. 3. This completes the article.

It is attached to the rein as hereinbefore described, and then,when itis desired to engage with sufficient force to prevent accidentaldisengaged from the hook than the rein can the rein with the water-hook,the frame is passed over the hook, the flexible material D 4 5 readilyyielding for this purpose, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 1, andwhen the frame is in its proper position this flexible or elasticmaterial bears against the back of the hook movement of the frame in thedirection of disengagement, andwill also prevent this metal frame fromrattling 011 the hook.'

A rein with this attachment is more readily be when attached directly tothe hook, for the reason that in most hooks the mouth of the hook isvery narrow, audit is necessary to twist the rein in order to pass itthrough the mouth of the hook. Again, this fastener may be used with asimple stud on the harnessbody instead of a hook, thus lightening theappearance of the part of the harness.

lam aware that anelastic bushing has been introduced into a check-reinholder, and therefore do not claim, broadly, such a construction,

the essential feature of my invention being making the frame in twothicknesses, and in closing the plate of elastic material between saidtwo thicknesses,whereby it is rigidly and firmly attached.

WINFIELD R. (JOE.

Witnesses:

Jos. QEARLE,

J. H. SHUMWAY.

